Shadow's Grudge
by FaithDyBurgh
Summary: First off, thanks to ShadowBrook17 for letting me use her characters. Alex and the gang are sent to help the Five and Po face a new threat, a threat thought long gone. But Shadow hates Alex for some reason. Can Shadow let her grudge go long enough to help her friends win this battle? And can Shifu turn his bad blood into water under the bridge for the good of the Valley of Peace?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

_Okay, you know the deal. Please comment. I get lonely and paranoid that no one likes my stories when people don't comment. You can leave a review even if you don't have a stinkin' __**ACCOUNT**__ on this site! So PLEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSE comment! I hope you like the story! (The author apologizes for this late-night, sleep-deprivation-induced outburst.)_

* * *

"I hate the rain," Po complained. "There's nothing to do on a rainy day." He and Tigress were in Tigress's room, trying and failing to get something accomplished on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Po had read all the scrolls in the library over the past week, what with the seemingly endless downpour.

Tigress looked up at her friend and rolled her eyes. "Why don't you ask Shadow to spar with you? I'm sure she'd love to; with Leon gone, she needs someone to get her mind off the cubs."

"She doesn't need anything to take her mind off that. You know those intense visions she has been having lately? She's afraid to go to sleep because of them, so she's almost dead on her feet all day, she's so tired."

"Yes, I'm sure Silver and Blaze have nothing to do with that," Tigress said sarcastically. "Oh, and don't forget Lance and Kira. And I'm sure the rain hasn't been making the cubs any more wild at all." Po shrugged and turned back to his boredom, and Tigress returned to beating the life out of her pillow, smirking.

At that moment the door flew open and a female Bengal Tiger burst into the room, screaming. Po jumped about a mile, and Tigress was on her feet a fraction of a second after.

"Shadow! What's wrong?" Tigress gripped her friend's shoulders and sat her down on a stool. "Shadow. Look at me. Tell me what you saw."

Shadow murmured incomprehensibly. Tigress only heard "Vision... Rebellion... human world... " She shook herself from her stupor, took in a deep breath and spoke again. "Oogway's alive! He needs our help!"

* * *

"All right, keep it moving," Alex waved his circus friends into train cars. They were on their way to China for their next performance, which no one was happy about. China had absolutely no talking animals. They hated not being able to talk to new people. No one was speaking to Alex except Gia, and that was hardly more than small talk. " Let's go, Rico!" he called. "We're wasting daylight!"

As the train pulled from the station, Alex smiled sheepishly at his friends and sat. When nobody would even look at him, he sighed. "Oh, come on, guys. It won't be that bad."

"We're on our way to the home of the largest mute animal population in the world, Alex. We'll only be able to talk to each other," Melman groaned.

"Yeah," Marty agreed. "Why China, anyways?"

Alex smiled. "That's where the Great Rebellion took place." Everyone just stared at him with blank looks on their faces. "Seriously? I'm the only one who knows about the Great Rebellion? How often am I the one who knows everything?" They murmured in agreement. "Okay, this'll be good. The Great Rebellion is when animals from the First Home discovered this world. A whole bunch wanted to come live here, but these super-cool Kung Fu legends, the Jade Palace Guard, warned against it. No one listened to them. They fought back against the Guard, and won because of superior numbers. In fact, I think the Palace Guard are the only ones who stayed behind. The animals came over in China. Apparently, it was so much like their own culture they left; they had wanted something new, not their world with humans in charge. That's why everywhere else has so many talking animals, and China doesn't."

"Amazing. So is it possible to get back to the First Home?" Gia piped up. "I wonder how they're doing. How many stayed there?"

"Including the children and the Grandmaster, twelve. Big burden, huh?" Alex smiled. "And, no, it's not possible. Many have tried; all have failed."

"Thanks for bringing me down, man," mumbled Gloria. She reached for Melman's hand. They all sat in silence. About five minutes later, the train lurched to a stop. "Why are we stopping?" she cried. "We can't possibly be there yet."

Vitali looked out the door and was immediately thrown back. Blinding bright light filled the shabby train car. From the light emerged a glowing white tortoise. "Hello, young ones," He said in the dry crackling voice that comes with age. "I am Oogway, former Grandmaster of the Jade Palace. I need your help."

Marty stood straight up and stepped forward. "With what?"

"Marty, get back here," Alex hissed. Everyone was huddled in the corner, cowering. "He's a crazy turtle. Don't listen to crazy turtles." Marty ignored him.

"I am sending you to the 'First Home,' as you call it. Back through time to a land long forgotten. My students need you there. Trouble brews, and if they cannot let go of old grudges, they will be destroyed." He looked at all of them, who were now looking a bit less scared, more confused yet determined. "Do you accept?" They nodded, still terrified. "Good. I must ask you to reveal nothing of what you know is in their future. 'One often finds his destiny on the path he takes to avoid it,' I always say. Oh, one last thing." He handed everyone necklaces. "They will speak Chinese there. These will help you understand them." The second the carved wooden medallion was around their necks, the world went black.

* * *

"Wow," Mantis said, unimpressed. "These are the guys Oogway thinks can help us? We're so screwed."

Viper whacked him with her tail. "Be nice."

"Would you all shut your traps? They're waking up." Po shushed them. Gia's eyes fluttered open. She groaned as she slowly pulled herself into a sitting position. "Where am I?" she asked.

"The Jade Palace," Tigress answered. "Are you feeling all right?" She nodded, and the others began to wake up too.

Shadow stood in the corner and stared at Alex with contempt. This did not go unnoticed. "Who spit in your cereal, huh?" he asked. She didn't respond, just glared at him. He turned to Tigress. "Who's that? And why does she suddenly hate me?"

Tigress shot her a meaningful look, but she pretnded not to notice. She sighed. "That's Shadow, and she just-"

"Has a very good judge of character, Alex." Gloria teased. "Come on, let's get these on." She held out a pair of pants out to him. He took them and held them up against himself. They would fit.

"They were Tai Lung's," Shifu said briskly. "Tigress, take Gia to find some of your old things. Shadow, could Glora have one of your maternity dresses? They should fit with a little alteration." Shadow nodded, and Tigress left with Gia. Shadow went to find a dress, and returned with one that looked almost a perfect fit. It was cerulean with tiny cherry blossoms on it. She handed it to Gloria, who fit in it easily. Shadow bent wordlessly down and tore it to the hippo's thigh on each side. "The stretchy pants you were wearing before should work fine underneath. We don't want you to stand out any more than you absolutely have to." Gloria smiled gratefully.

Melman and Marty were the only ones still undressed, and Vitaly wore similar pants to Alex. Gia slowly emerged from Tigress's room. She was dressed in a pair of grey silk pants and a green vest with streamlined designs down the front. Alex's jaw dropped. Shifu rolled his eyes. Now," he snapped, shaking Alex from his drooling gape. "Down to business. I don't know what Oogway wants you here for, but we'll have to train you anyways. I have trained six students to fight to the best of their ability, and the children are some of the most gifted cubs I've ever seen. I am sure six animals with as much training as the circus gave you will be no issue at all." He had no idea how wrong he was.


	2. Chapter 2

_Okay, so here's the next chapter. And you should really check out ShadowBrook17's stories. I read them and they were my inspiration for this story. You should check them out so you know what the heck I'm talking about half the time. Oh, yeah, and please comment. _

* * *

"No, no, no!" Shadow cried. "You're doing it wrong!" She caught Alex's staff before he could perform a move that was sure to take someone's eye out. _Hopefully his own,_ Shadow thought. She sighed. "Okay, fine. Why don't we do some more hand- to- hand combat?" She had been paired up to train Alex, which neither of them were happy about.

They stepped to the middle of the floor where Shadow threw light punches that were easy for him to block. Soon, she had worked her way up to kicks, which he missed consistently. He finally got fed up and started fighting back. He was no problem for her, since he was tiring quickly. She smirked, but it faded when she saw Alex's claws come out. She caught his wrist as he lunged for her, and his feet slipped from under him. Her death grip on his arm was suddenly the only thing keeping him from a painful drop to the ground. She pulled him up and held his paw close to his face. "What in God's name do you think you're doing?"

He looked confused and said, "Fighting?"

"We never use our claws. I don't know how things are run where you come from, but here, we have a sense of honor and discipline. We don't use our claws because that is not what Kung Fu was created for." Shadow looked at him coldly. "Although, considering your heritage, I guess I'm not surprised the basic principals of a fair fight don't come easily to you."

"Okay, look." Alex was seriously starting to get ticked off. "Did I do something to you I'm not aware of? Why are you acting like I did something really terrible to you?"

"Because you did!" She shrieked. Everyone turned around to face them. "It is because my parents died that you live, Son of Tanis. Your ancestor killed my parents. He tried to kill me, and my son died because of it. I had to take on a deadly illness to bring him back, and that nearly destroyed me. You think that mark on your paw is to be worn with pride? That's the mark of a murderer. Tanis was the first to be born with it, and everyone in his line since bears it. Lance! Kira!" She called. The cubs came bounding into the room.

"Yes, Shadow? What is it?" Kira asked.

"Could you please show Alex your paws, kids?" They obliged. Sure enough, clear as day, the same mark Alex had on his paw graced the hands of the two children. "Thank you. Now, go play with Siver and Blaze, okay?" They ran off.

She turned to face Alex. "That's not me, Shadow," he said. "That's Tanis, and I'm not like him. I promise, I would never try to hurt you." At her doubtful look, Marty chimed in, "Alex never breaks a promise, Shadow. He's one of the most honest guys I know."

Tigress came up behind her and laid a paw on her shoulder. "Oogway says we can trust them. That's good enough for me." Shadow nodded slowly.

She would trust him, for the time being. "I'm sorry, Alex. It's just, with Leon and Shakira gone to check security at Chor Ghom prison and the cubs left all to me, the fact that the only person able to help us is the descendant of the bane of my existence isn't exactly easy to swallow." Alex nodded to indicate he understood he frustrations. "Now," she said. "Shall we continue?"

* * *

Once noon rolled around, the new trainees were drenched in sweat. Tigress called a break. "Lunch time, guys." The lift in the atmosphere was almost tangible. They piled out of the training hall to the dining room, where Po was bringing out his famous soup. As the newcomers lifted their spoons to their lips, the rest stared at them intently. "What?" Marty said.

"We just want to see your faces when you try Po's soup for the first time." Shadow explained. "It's so good that when Master Shifu tried it, he actually smiled."

"Yeah. It was actually kind of weird seeing him happy," Tigress noted. The rest of the table laughed.

"Oh, come on, it can't be that good," Marty smiled as he took a sip. Immediately, his eyes bulged. "Sweet mother, that is good!" Everyone burst out in screams of laughter.

"This is really amazing, Po," Gloria said. "What's your secret?"

Po blushed. "Nothing. It's just regular noodle soup."

Vitaly raised an eyebrow. "So, has anyone had any thoughts as to what we're supposed to be doing here?"

Everyone turned to look at Shadow, who sighed and laid her chopsticks down. "I don't know the details, but there was something about a rebellion in my vision. One that would..." She struggled to remember. "... 'live on for generations.' Sorry, but that's all I know."

"Wait. Rebellion?" Alex stopped trying (and failing) to use his chopsticks and leaned forward. "The Great Rebellion?"

Shadow looked at him, startled. "Yeah. How did you know that?" Gia chuckled into her soup. "Alex researched it. He was going on and on about it on our way to China. That is how we met Oogway."

Shifu then stepped into the room. "Well, I see everyone is getting along now. Shadow, please meet me in my office at sundown. I need to speak to you." Shadow nodded and glanced at her friends uncertainly.


End file.
